Frontiers in Neurology (Aug 2020)

COVID-19 and Guillain–Barré Syndrome: A Case Report and Review of Literature

  • Antonio Zito,
  • Enrico Alfonsi,
  • Diego Franciotta,
  • Massimiliano Todisco,
  • Massimiliano Todisco,
  • Matteo Gastaldi,
  • Matteo Cotta Ramusino,
  • Matteo Cotta Ramusino,
  • Mauro Ceroni,
  • Mauro Ceroni,
  • Alfredo Costa,
  • Alfredo Costa

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2020.00909
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11

Abstract

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During the recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in Northern Italy, we observed a 57-year-old man developing acute motor-sensory axonal neuropathy, a variant of Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS), 12 days after severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Similarly to other bacterial and viral infections, dysregulation of the immune system due to post-infectious mechanisms, such as the molecular mimicry, could lead to an indirect damage of the peripheral nervous system related to SARS-CoV-2. GBS causes motor dysfunctions that are not easily recognizable in non-neurological settings or in patients requiring ventilatory assistance. Several reports also suggested that GBS and Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS) could be neurological complications of COVID-19. Therefore, we performed a review of the 29 articles so far published, describing 33 GBS cases and five MFS cases associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. We recommend awareness of this rare, but treatable, neurological syndrome, which may also determine a sudden and otherwise unexplained respiratory deterioration in COVID-19 patients.

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